REVIEW: Galaxafreaks: Dark Vibes: Issue #1

Do you vomit rainbows? Is real life not as far-out as you wish? Are you ready to ride some chill vibes into the weirdest, most fun comic out there? Galaxafreaks: Dark Vibes takes you into space like you’ve never seen it before. A smattering of psychedelia and space odyssey, its stunning art and funny, groovy dialogue makes it a bodacious read.

Dark Vibes is a five issue series that follows Captain Yeah! and other psychedelic astronauts. Noirville’s a very chill place, filled with purple aliens called Darklings, who have an intense religion that worships the void of space. Meeko, a green alien, stands out like a sore thumb among her purple brethren. She’s been outcasted all her life. However, when Captain Yeah!, everyone’s favorite intrepid psychonaut, gets captured by his nefarious enemy Fuzz-Muff, only Meeko and her special powers can save him.

Galaxafreaks: Dark Vibes is a trippy ride from panel 1. Andrew Pawley‘s characters are drawn in vivid, bright colors. You’ll feel like a kid in a candy store with all the glowing greens, purples, and pinks. He colors each character with vivid brushstrokes, rather than the seamless fills we’re used to seeing in most other comics. It adds to the overall trippiness of the art, as each character has multiple shades of green or purple in their body. Form-wise, the characters are simple, cartoon shapes, but the smorgasbord of color makes it visually enticing. Backgrounds can be just as colorfully engaging as the characters. Often, Pawley elects to have an abstract background, with crosshatched shapes or splotches of circles. This makes characters pop out more and adds to the psychedelic vibe.

Pawley also mixes up his word balloons, too. He distorts them based on each character’s emotion as they speak, adding a visual layer to the text. He also uses obtuse fonts. At one point, an apocalyptic preacher’s dialogue literally starts dripping down, foreboding the intense religious doom of his people. Characters speak with 60s & 70s psychedelia lingo, which is both funny and creates a whole world of slang that lends to the otherworldly vibes. Text, background, and character design all merge together to create a unique art style that gives Galaxafreaks an energetic personality.

Galaxafreaks: Dark Vibes is visual candy. Its art is vibrant, lively, and downright groovy. Add in a cosmic space opera about an outcast and a space adventurer, and you have a lot of weirdness that fits together in a cohesive, fun package. With such a strong debut for the series, the next five issues will surely be a wild ride.

How do you feel about the first issue of Galaxafreaks: Dark Vibes? Are you riding on those chill vibes or is it too far out for you? Leave a comment and sound off on Twitter! You can check out more Galaxafreaks at Galaxafreaks.com. Check out their Kickstarter page to get intergalactic perks for helping bring Dark Vibes to life, and stay posted at A Place To Hang Your Cape for our upcoming interview with creator Andrew Pawley.